12-18 August, 2013

A review of the main events in Romania this week.

Roxana Vasile, 17.08.2013, 13:44

Izvorul Muresului, the meeting point of the Romanians around the world

Every August, Romanians around the world get together at a Summer Camp hosted by Izvorul Muresului, in central Romania, to tackle issues they are facing in their countries of residence. Attending the Summer Camp which has reached its 11th edition this year were leaders of Romanian organisations living near the borders of the country and the Balkans (Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Ukraine and Albania), as well as representatives of the Romanian diaspora in Italy and France. They called for support from the Romanian state in order to maintain their national identity and get some rights, as ethnic minorities, in the countries they are living in. Romania’s President Traian Basescu gave assurances that Bucharest can finance programs meant to help people regain the Romanian identity and spirit, but he equally launched an appeal for solidarity among his co-nationals living outside the borders of the country, for Romania to be able to efficiently support them. “We want the countries neighbouring Romania to treat ethnic Romanians just like we treat the ethnic minorities in Romania, granting them the right to keep their language, culture and the right to be automatically elected to Parliament.” — The Romanian president underlined, referring implicitly to neighbouring Hungary, after Budapest politicians have recently made controversial declarations.

Romania and Hungary exchange tough responses

A speech delivered by Gabor Vona, the leader of Hungary’s far-right party Jobbik, has stirred waves on the Romanian political scene. In a nutshell, the message was the following: Hungary has the obligation to support the ethnic Hungarians living in Romania to obtain autonomy based on ethnic criteria and added that Jobbik will defend their rights and interests, even assuming responsibility for a conflict with Romania. The Romanian government has firmed condemned Gabor Vona’s declarations, and President Traian Basescu underlined:

Traian Basescu: “There are several countries which are already annoyed by the aggressive policy pursued by Budapest as regards the ethnic minorities. Romania has showed reservation so far, but we believe that things have reached the point where our reservations should be left aside and Budapest should be set straight.“

The tough words uttered by the president surprised many both in Hungary and Romania, where the leader of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, Kelemen Hunor, said:

Kelemen Hunor“ When the head of state makes such a declaration, it means that things get complicated and we don’t need such a thing, especially when it comes to Romania and Hungary, or the Romanian-Hungarian relations, but such outbursts, like that of Vorona’s or any other similar statements should be condemned.”

Romania’s administrative regionalisation process will be carried out on a European basis and not on ethnic criteria, Romanian foreign minister Titus Corlatean made clear, also adding that autonomy-based models are accepted, neither in Romania, nor in Europe.

Good news for the Romanian and European economies.

Romania’s GDP went up in the second quarter as opposed to the first by 0.3%, according to the National Institute of Statistics, with economic growth gauged at 1.7% as against last year’s similar period. Earlier, the National Bank had adjusted its expectation for growth this year to over 2%, based on the evolution of exports, industrial output and a good farming year. Also, the IMF upped its economic growth forecast for Romania, from 2% this year to 2.25% next year. According to the European Statistics Office, EUROSTAT, the European Union and the 17 countries in the Eurozone came out of recession in the second quarter, with 0.3% growth as opposed to the first quarter. This comes after a year and a half of economic downturn, the longest since the adoption of the Single European Currency, the Euro, in 1999.

Lawsuit against the perpetrators of the “Theft of the Century”

The trial of the Romanians involved in the stealing of seven paintings from the Kunsthal Gallery in Rotterdam, which started on Tuesday, has already been postponed until September 10th, because of procedural flaws. The paintings stolen from the Dutch Museum in October 2012, signed among others by Matisse, Gauguin and Monet have not been burnt, and the six Romanians accused of stealing them are ready to return them to the Dutch authorities, the defense attorneys have announced, without saying anything about the whereabouts of the artworks. They have said, however, this is an aspect of the confidentiality procedures. Lawyer Catalin Dancu has said he will contest the forensic report issued by the team of experts from the National Museum of Romania. Experts analysed ashes found in the stove belonging to the mother of the gang leader and said it contained remnants of old pigments, nails and a tack. This has raised suspicions that she might have burnt down the paintings. Lawyer Catalin Dancu:

Catalin Dancu: “By contesting this report, I will require that all these pieces of evidence be sent to the Louvre in Paris, which is well known across Europe, for having the best and most credible forensic laboratory, to identify or not the existence of ashes resulting from burning down those paintings, in their entirety.”

“Scent of blackmail in the paintings robbery trial”- the newspapers issued in Bucharest headlined, the defendants calling for shorter sentences in exchange for returning the paintings. The defence attorneys went even further, showing that part of the blame lies with the Dutch museum, equipped with a weak security system.

Romania shows concern about the situation in Egypt

The Romanian Foreign Ministry has joined the international community in deploring the escalation of violence in Egypt, in recent days, which left hundreds of dead and thousands of injured. The Romanian diplomacy follows with concern the developments in that country, deplores the loss of human lives and material damage and back the European Union’s appeal to the two sides to show restraint in order to resume the political process of democratic transition. The Romanian Foreign Ministry has also recommended to those willing to travel to Egypt or who are already on Egyptian soil to completely avoid the areas situated in the proximity of the headquarters of the main governmental institutions and political parties, which are usually the stage of protests and to avoid getting involved in any type of rally. The Romanian Embassy in Cairo, which keeps contact with the Romanian citizens in Egypt, is ready to take action to grant them protection, if need be, depending on the situation.